About Whitfield

Hi, I’m Whitfield Fowler, though most people call me Whit. I’ve played many roles in my life, and I bring all of them to the table as a coach. I'm a husband of 18 years, a father of 2 daughters, and at heart, I’m a midwestern kid from Minneapolis who grew up loving art, math, and sports. As a high school athlete, I learned first hand how great coaching often leads to great results. Specifically, our soccer team won the MN state high school championship in 1995 (go Spartans) due in large part to the passion and systematic approaches of our fantastic coach. High school is also where I first understood that I need physical activities and creative outlets for my mind to truly focus—a principle that guides my holistic approach today. My identity as a scholar took root at St. Olaf College, where I studied Physics and Liberal Arts. It then flourished at Stanford University, where I earned my PhD and MS in the Design Division of Mechanical Engineering. Immersed in structured methods for product definition and decision analysis, I discovered a lifelong love of learning and the incredible power of curiosity to solve complex problems through a process of making predictions and then measurements from tests and prototypes. For the last 15 years, I’ve been a "Hardware Startup Guy," leading engineering and operations teams as a Director at four different companies. I’ve lived the chaos of the early days, navigating the vast gap between good ideas and profitable businesses. I know the pressures of short runways, massive uncertainties, and the constant balancing act of leadership. Finally, I am a World Traveler. My work and studies have taken me to Europe, the Middle East, Northern Africa, India, China, and Japan. Interacting with people across these cultures revealed a deep sense of our shared humanity and reinforced my core belief that relationships matter far more than transactions. Each of these roles—husband, dad, athlete, scholar, startup leader, and traveler—has shaped the unique perspective I bring to my coaching.